This description relates to managing record format information.
Organizations manage data from multiple different systems. System may produce datasets of data in a format native to the system. Other systems produce datasets using a standard format, such as a comma separated file or an XML document. Generally, even when the format of the dataset is standard the records and fields within the dataset are specific to the system.
Some systems accept datasets provided by other systems through an import mechanism. The import converts the external dataset into a format native to the system for processing. Other systems create a record format which describes the dataset sufficiently to permit the system to process the external dataset without necessarily requiring conversion.